This invention relates to electrical outlets, and more particularly to an electrical cord support that can be attached around an electrical outlet on an outdoor building wall to accommodate and conceal the excess amount in length of the electrical cord.
Motorists living in sub-freezing climates where the use of block heaters for the motor engine is widely used, require an elongated electrical cord to electrically connect the block heater of their unsheltered automobile to an outdoor wall electrical outlet. When the motorist wants to use his ear, he has to disconnect the electrical cord plug from the block heater and may want to leave the electrical cord simply on the ground, which makes it liable to damages from water and snow borne moisture.
The gist of the present invention is to address the need for a short term tidy and safe storage of an extension cord to be connected to an outdoor electrical outlet, outside of the home.
In accordance with the object of the invention, there is disclosed a spool support for supporting an elongated electrical cord around an electrical outlet, said spool support defining: a) a planar open main frame having a central window, for through engagement by the electrical outlet, and a peripheral edge wall, surrounding said central window, said peripheral edge wall including a upper end section and a lower end section; b) a first arcuate channel member, integral to said main frame upper end section and projecting outwardly from the plane formed by said main frame; c) a second arcuate channel member, integral to said main frame lower end section and projecting outwardly from the plane formed by said main frame, said first and second channel member extending in opposite directions and forming together a loop for winding thereinto the electrical cord; and d) securing means, not associated with a cover plate for the electrical outlet but operative at said spool support main frame, for releasably anchoring the electrical outlet to said spool support.
The invention also relates to a combination of the electrical outlet and/or the electrical box to the spool support.
Preferably, an upper bridge portion integrally interconnects said main frame upper end section and said first arcuate channel member, and a male member, integrally projecting transversely from said bridge portion, said male member for releasable complementary engagement by the female end plug of the electrical extension cord. Said main frame upper end section could further include two intergral female ear members and said main frame lower end section further includes two integral male ear members, said male ear members complementarily lockingly releasably engaged with said female ear members; wherein said spool support is dismanteable from an assembled unitary state into a disassembled state in two upper and lower halves. Each of said female ear members may have a tapered leading edge, said leading edge forming a ramp enabling sliding intergagement with corresponding male ear members.
A lower bridge portion could also integrally interconnect said main frame lower end section and said first arcuate channel member, said lower bridge portion having a notch, made into said lower bridge portion and opening into said central window, said notch for through passage of the electrical cord wound around said first and second arcuate channel member. Said securing means could consist of at least one bore, made into a selected one of said upper end section and lower end section, and a corresponding number of screw members, extending through said at least one bore for through engagement with registering ears from the electrical outlet and for anchoring with an electrical box behind said spool support.
An electrically insulating sealing pad could be sandwiched in between said electrical box and said spool support main frame upper end section and lower end section, and also ahead forwardly of a cover plate for the outlet.
In said assembled unitary state of said dismantleable spool support, said first and second channel members could engage one another to form a continuous single loop member.